tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post8850592629698024660..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Mars Needs MoneyJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23243855625884160472012-03-22T14:56:34.399-04:002012-03-22T14:56:34.399-04:00Jon,
There was another article I'd read abou...Jon, <br /><br />There was another article I'd read about Stanton that led credence to the belief that his lack of live-action experience ballooned the production budget of this film more than was anticipated. I think the failure of John Carter ultimately will be a death by a thousand cuts, and not one single problem that can be pointed at with absolute certainty.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44833937328040334752012-03-21T23:10:45.093-04:002012-03-21T23:10:45.093-04:00I doubt it matters since developmental costs (draf...I doubt it matters since developmental costs (drafting screenplays, storyboarding) are usually pretty small -maybe a few million at most.<br /><br />The real killer for this movie appears to be poor planning and extensive reshoots. It doesn't help that Disney spent an additional $100 million on advertising, making the film cost over $350 million.<br /><br />I know internet nerd ragers hate his guts, but Rick McCallum (or someone like him) would have been an ideal producer for this film. He produced <i>Revenge of the Sith</i> for a little over a third of what <i>John Carter</i> cost. Howard Kazanjian turned in both <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i> and <i>Return of the Jedi</i> early and under budget. <br /><br />The whole idea of pumping such a huge amount of money into a film with little or no built-in audience is the worst kind of folly. It's too bad the movie is a flop because I enjoyed it and would like to see more, but that's not likely to happen now.Elfdarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17332202910754546307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-46143531617026825122012-03-21T14:59:38.271-04:002012-03-21T14:59:38.271-04:00I had read this on the subject:
http://www.vultur...I had read this on the subject:<br /><br />http://www.vulture.com/2012/03/john-carter-doomed-by-first-trailer.html<br /><br />And while we are reading:<br /><br />http://airlockalpha.com/node/9010/astrojive-howard-and-burroughs-box-office-poison.htmlBruxisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10281470286169023371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72511897456111043652012-03-21T13:08:39.882-04:002012-03-21T13:08:39.882-04:00The reason week #1 is so important is because the ...The reason week #1 is so important is because the money that the theater rakes in through tickets sales funnel to the production company, the percentage changes per film, but can go as high as 90%. This percentage goes down every week. So if the films doesn't do great that first week the production company loses most of it's profit.The Grey Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14106545595366436576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7411195216481005772012-03-21T12:46:51.832-04:002012-03-21T12:46:51.832-04:00Don't forget that all those Barsoom extras don...Don't forget that all those Barsoom extras don't come cheap. Their union's pretty tough!Doreshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287649794589606798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75128779559357476232012-03-21T12:26:51.495-04:002012-03-21T12:26:51.495-04:00Oh hell, I just figured out the problem.
Tars Tar...Oh hell, I just figured out the problem.<br /><br />Tars Tarkas wasn't a wisecracking ethnic stereotype.anarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546197561922726279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6819672390607114262012-03-21T12:18:15.136-04:002012-03-21T12:18:15.136-04:00I thought the movie was okay, if clunky. It seemed...I thought the movie was okay, if clunky. It seemed like the audience most enjoyed the first half, as Carter acclimates to his new surroundings.<br /><br />Of all the things I've read about the film, I think <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/17/111017fa_fact_friend" rel="nofollow">Tad Friend's <i>The New Yorker</i> piece on Andrew Stanton</a> is perhaps the most insightful and compelling.Jon McNallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06349882237118956838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52458687145496599282012-03-21T12:13:02.276-04:002012-03-21T12:13:02.276-04:00I've seen it twice and I liked it. But it does...I've seen it twice and I liked it. But it does have problems that make it unpalatable to some audiences. I won't go into great detail but I'll toss out a few things. {SPOILERS}<br /> <br />The film's narrative, like the book's, is a bit rambling. The prologue with Carter on Earth is well done but takes too much screen time.<br />The some of the actors use accents and Barsoomian vocabulary making them hard to understand.<br />All the morphing can make it difficult to identify the characters.<br /> <br /><br />As a fan of the books, I didn't mind the meta-plot about the Therns. It worked for me putting Barsoom into a kind of Weird fantasy HPL milieu. I did find some of the other changes distracting and unnecessary. There was no reason Zodanga had to be a walking city; Tardos Mors could have been left as Dejah's grandfather. The big expositional "Info-dump" Matai-Shang lays on Carter would have been better left as a mystery to be revealed in future films. The introduction of the Ninth Ray stuff rang false - too much like the intro of the Weirding Modules in Lynch's Dune film<br /><br />Sadly I see no merchandise tie-in's except endless ERB reprints. I would have been in heaven if GW or better yet Mongoose had gotten a minis license. [Mind you there are some good figs from Tin Man Models and Bronze Age Miniatures] <br /><br />I feel it should be pointed out this film was NOT 200 x better than the < $1 million Asylum Princess of Mars from a couple years back!Captain Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10682678777940123469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23641885456355614432012-03-21T12:05:33.239-04:002012-03-21T12:05:33.239-04:00It was made on a tighter budget - by The Asylum.
...It <i>was</i> made on a tighter budget - by The Asylum.<br /><br />Sadly, their version almost certainly made a profit.anarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546197561922726279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48525974602053771842012-03-21T11:48:42.338-04:002012-03-21T11:48:42.338-04:00The Favereau and Rodriguez production were at Para...The Favereau and Rodriguez production were at Paramount not Disney and would not be included in the $200 million.Captain Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10682678777940123469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-26148981115555467522012-03-21T11:24:55.154-04:002012-03-21T11:24:55.154-04:00I'm now seeing estimates that the loss is more...I'm now seeing estimates that the loss is more like 200 million. We can pretty much kiss any chance of another John Carter movie in the foreseeable future goodbye. Notice that there haven't been any more theatrical films about Cleopatra or the Johnson County War...TheShadowKnowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11073693648569864707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48883168562129250192012-03-21T09:47:03.443-04:002012-03-21T09:47:03.443-04:00Like many, I think that part of the death of succe...Like many, I think that part of the death of success for John Carter was probably the marketing. <br /><br />Except for the first trailer that caught my attention(set to Peter Gabriel's My Body is a Cage - something I thought was very creative if you know about John Carter and how he travels to Mars), nothing they did really made me more excited (even the Super Bowl Sunday ads -which was a huge chunk of wasted money). <br /><br />It almost seems like Disney had no interest in this movie's success - like they were hoping it would fly on its own (maybe the way that Pirates seemed to defy the odds despite a lack of good marketing). In some ways, it feels like Andrew Stanton's ability to make Disney alot of money through Pixar was the only reason it survived to the box office. I could easily see a cheaply-made, animated direct-to-video as the only fallout Disney might do for contractual reasons or maybe if the movie breaks even after movie and DVD sales. <br /><br />The other factor on costs is that it isn't just the general CGI design, but I understand that a great deal of motion-capture work went into creating the Tharks, especially Tars and Sola. <br /><br />I have enjoyed ERB's Mars series. To see the elements written in his books about brought to life so well was great. While a return trip to Barsoom (given the threads that were left hanging for future plots) would be great, it looks like that won't be the case anytime soon.Servohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16722280935789817607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-55050522815672178962012-03-21T06:02:54.206-04:002012-03-21T06:02:54.206-04:00Shooting on location, now that was funny!Shooting on location, now that was funny!Timothyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247111947962371547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25559919985818449252012-03-21T03:45:30.289-04:002012-03-21T03:45:30.289-04:00I don't buy that: Stanton's a very smart, ...I don't buy that: Stanton's a very smart, very savvy guy and Disney focus groups the hell out of everything. It's trivial to find out what brand recognition Carter has. When I tell people about Barsoom I start by saying "it's by the same guy who wrote Tarzan" and 9 times out of 10 I see a light go on - they're thinking "oh right - somebody wrote Tarzan."richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517340075234811323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57142133766338352762012-03-21T02:13:11.861-04:002012-03-21T02:13:11.861-04:00I've asked this on about 6 or 7 forums and new...I've asked this on about 6 or 7 forums and news articles but no one seems to know for sure:<br /><br />Does the $250 million include all the money spent by Disney, previous to Andrew Stanton's film, to develop the property (i.e., the prior attempts by Robert Rodriguez and John Favreau)?<br /><br />Remember, Disney's been trying to make this movie for a while. Even so, <a href="http://exonauts.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-trip-to-barsoom-john-carter-mini.html" rel="nofollow">the film is great fun</a> and deserved better marketing and a fair shake by the US press (international press--<a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3397&p=.htm" rel="nofollow">and movie goeers</a>--were much kinder).Jay Exonautshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11336829684749993354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60589971720399688332012-03-21T00:51:51.235-04:002012-03-21T00:51:51.235-04:00My understanding is that movie companies get about...My understanding is that movie companies get about half the revenue from ticket sales - so if John Carter cost a total of $350 million it would need $700 million. A but much for a story most of the audience wouldn't know.<br /><br />What surprises me is why the marketing push that the story is from the guy who created Tarzan, the movie is by the guy who did WallE and Finding Nemo and the hero is the first SF action hero. That might have interested people.infornifichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00849217132276878084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68811089909838545842012-03-21T00:02:59.076-04:002012-03-21T00:02:59.076-04:00I remember the director of Equilibrium complaining...I remember the director of <i>Equilibrium</i> complaining that he had to be so careful in shooting, because such a miniscule budget to work with. He in fact had to shoot some of the title sequences using himself as the actor.<br /><br />The budget: US$30 million.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44199338186878653482012-03-20T23:55:10.352-04:002012-03-20T23:55:10.352-04:00Because there is probably an escape clause that if...Because there is probably an escape clause that if the first movie bombs at the box office then Disney does not have to proceed with the next two contracted sequels.<br /><br />The development of any film (or TV series) is very political. There are always other people who will want to use the money that would have gone into that film or TV series for their own pet projects. No doubt if it had been broadly well-received it would have made a profit; as it was, Disney probably was unloading all the costs it can into the accounting for the film in order to sink it.<br /><br />Though I too find it curious that it is getting such mixed reviews. The one clue is that most of the people who were familiar with the milieu enjoyed it, whilst those who weren't, didn't.<br /><br />Although releasing it in post-production 3D was a serious mistake.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-18640804665591627712012-03-20T23:28:00.832-04:002012-03-20T23:28:00.832-04:00I agree. Where are the toys? Where are the RPG tie...I agree. Where are the toys? Where are the RPG tie-in products or CCG games? Disney was really slow to market PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and seems even slower to market John Carter. I think there is a small number of fans who are familiar with the books and a bunch of potential fans who would love them if they were properly exposed to them. Disney seems to have hoped for a word-of-mouth campaign. I know lots of people who I think would love this movie who weren't impressed by the trailers and are just waiting for the DVD.Finarvynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798730645810799962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2199967920292383262012-03-20T23:05:20.826-04:002012-03-20T23:05:20.826-04:00The movie industry has changed a lot in recent yea...The movie industry has changed a lot in recent years and its quite possible that the current audience isn't teenagers. <br /><br />Money might be an issue too, US poverty is sky high and a lot of people I know couldn't afford this 1st run.<br /><br />Plus there are lots of other cheaper choices, Games and the Internet are also just about as much fun, plus there is always Net Flix<br /><br />Heck I rarely see any movies these days and in fact my total list for the year is The Hobbit, that all ...<br /><br />I have better things to do with my money than waste it at a movie theater filled with screaming kids and cellphones and filthy floors when the $20 a head its costs (with snacks) will buy a lot of better stuff <br /><br />Lastly demographically there are a lot more Asian, Black and Hispanic teens who might not be interested in this kind of story. Hollywood is not as universal as people think.5stonegameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10694550968360550229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40635838689580887742012-03-20T22:14:42.641-04:002012-03-20T22:14:42.641-04:00People think computer graphics is cost effective ...People think computer graphics is cost effective and maybe it is on a low budget level, but to make a film of this scope is a VERY expensive. On the Prometheus's Q&A the other day, Ridley Scott touched on that subject and said that was one of his major factors on why he decided on having some actual set made and optical effects used in the film.I.F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04345074915911014741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33731737311384978032012-03-20T22:04:44.202-04:002012-03-20T22:04:44.202-04:00For what it's worth, I've heard the same t...For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing. Though apparently part of the problem is that Stanton (the director) had a heavier hand in marketing than usual, and did not grasp that John Carter was no longer a household name alongside Superman or James Bond.Deadstophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07844595286531971355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58500987236502421482012-03-20T22:03:02.287-04:002012-03-20T22:03:02.287-04:00I agree on the complete lack of marketing. Maybe t...I agree on the complete lack of marketing. Maybe the company sensed in advance it wouldn't do so well (or had a hand in it not doing so well), but just about everything action-adventurey gets toys these days. Where's my plush Woola and Baby Thark? A Barsoomian battle harness right alongside all the plastic Iron Man chestplates? Dejah Thoris teaching the other Disney Princesses about survival in a harsh world? (Okay, that last one is unlikely.)Deadstophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07844595286531971355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-74955771742861786452012-03-20T21:38:53.261-04:002012-03-20T21:38:53.261-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Thaddeushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12766454012810262152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48168636727352797942012-03-20T21:08:16.094-04:002012-03-20T21:08:16.094-04:00Actually it's a prequel to Get CarterActually it's a prequel to <em>Get Carter</em>Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.com